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Temple showcases Southwest Jewish Art Festival

By S. Derrickson Moore / dmoore@lcsun-news.com

Posted:
03/08/2013 01:56:24 AM MST

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Asters and Old Bottles by Naida Zucker and Bronc Rider by David Fishman are among works by 44 artists featured in All Things Beautiful, the second annual Southwest Jewish Art Festival from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at Temple Beth-El, 3980 Sonoma Springs Ave.

"It's my soul. It's my spirituality. And it's a huge fundraiser for Temple Beth-El. We've been working on this since November," said Gerie Muchnikoff, a volunteer for the event and a featured artist.

The festival showcases "many works by Jewish artists on Jewish themes," and more, according to the event's coordinators.

Participating artists from Santa Fe, Silver City, Albuquerque, El Paso and Tucson will exhibit works in a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, ceramics, fiber arts, jewelry, beadwork, glass and collage. Well-known local artists represented include David Fishman, Jeanne Rundell, Dan Tapper and the organizers of the event, Gerie Muchnikoff and Ruth Ann Sugarman.

"This is the second year we've done this and we'll be a little more diversified and have more than art with Jewish themes.

We'll also have Rosemary McLoughlin's 'Mola Cats,' small sculptures by John Northcutt, and fiber and mixed media works by Meredith Loring. Martha Duran will be making books and marbleized papers and we'll also feature Luke Tumblin, a young man who does digital print work and cards," Muchnikoff said.

The exhibit opens with a preview and sale event, with a celebration of traditional Jewish foods, from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday.

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"On the culinary side, the opening will feature a variety of Jewish foods from both the Ashkenazi, the northern European Jewish tradition, and the Sephardic, the southern European and Mediterranean Jewish tradition. There will be the familiar: bagels with lox, herring and hummus, and the less familiar: falafel, rugelach and kugel. On Sunday, we will be offering cookies and punch," said Susan Fitzgerald, spokesperson for the event.

For tickets to the opening, at $25, call Temple Beth-El at 575-524-3380 or 575-652-3124. On Sunday, there will be a $5 fee at the door only. Saturday ticket holders may return without additional charges on Sunday by showing their ticket stub.

S. Derrickson Moore may be reached at 575-541-5450. Follow her on Twitter @DerricksonMoore